Welcome to the divisional spherical version of the Choose Six publication!
Though each spherical of the playoffs is enjoyable within the NFL, I’ve all the time preferred the divisional spherical the perfect and this yr’s divisional spherical is likely to be the perfect ever.
Not solely do now we have three Tremendous Bowl successful quarterbacks taking part in this weekend, however we even have a workforce taking part in on Saturday that hasn’t been to a convention title recreation in 31 years. That workforce is the Bengals and so they’re apparently bringing so many followers to Nashville that the Titans actually modified their playoff ticket coverage in an effort to maintain Bengals followers out. Nevertheless, I am undecided that coverage is working as a result of as somebody who lives in Nashville, I’ve seen so many Bengals followers over the previous 24 hours that you possibly can have simply satisfied me that I used to be really in Cincinnati.
Anyway, we’ll have extra on the Titans’ new ticket coverage in at present’s publication, plus we’ll be providing you with some greatest bets for the divisional spherical and rating the perfect Tremendous Bowl matchups that might nonetheless occur.
With that in thoughts, let’s get to the rundown.
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1. Right this moment’s present: Greatest bets for the divisional spherical
For at present’s podcast, Will Brinson rounded up R.J. White and Pete Prisco so they may argue about who’s going to win each recreation being performed this weekend, and naturally, it is an particularly large weekend since it is the DIVISIONAL ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS.
The three guys spent practically 60 minutes going over the perfect bets for each single divisional recreation, and we will cowl three picks from every particular person under. None of them picked the Bengals, which suggests I am sadly not pals with any of them.
Pete Prisco (Prisco went 1-2 along with his wild-card picks featured right here).
- Titans (-3.5) to cowl towards the Bengals
- Rams (+3) to cowl towards the Buccaneers
- Rams at Buccaneers OVER 48 factors
Will Brinson (Brinson went 3-0 along with his wild-card picks featured right here)
R.J. White (White went 1-2 along with his wild-card picks featured right here)
- Chiefs (-2) to cowl towards the Payments
- Titans (-3.5) to cowl towards the Bengals
- Elijah Mitchell UNDER 75.5 speeding yards
To listen to the remainder of the perfect bets for the divisional spherical — and there are fairly a number of — you should definitely click on right here so that you can listen to the entire episode of the podcast. You’ll be able to also watch the trio give out their picks on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Divisional spherical playoff picks
That is the ultimate publication of the week, which suggests that is the publication the place I’ll provide you with extra picks than you possibly can probably deal with. Over the previous 48 hours, we have had a number of writers make their picks for the divisional spherical, and I’ll share these picks with you proper now.
The picks under will likely be coming from Tyler Sullivan, Tom Fornelli and Jordan Dajani, together with CBS Sports activities NFL insider Jonathan Jones. As soon as once more, none of them picked the Bengals, which suggests I am sadly not pals with any of them. I am really feel like I am beginning to run out of labor pals.
As all the time, this is how issues are going to work: I’ll provide you with one decide from every man after which direct you to the remainder of their picks. That method, when you like their decide, you’ll learn the remainder of them, but when they decide towards your favourite workforce, you possibly can ignore the remainder of their picks and transfer on.
- Jonathan Jones: Titans over Bengals (Tennessee -190 moneyline). “I’ve gotten burned choosing towards the Bengals all season. I will be the primary to confess I believed they have been pretenders for many of the yr, and even right down to the ultimate play final week I believed the Raiders would win. This recreation is type of the Underrated Bowl, and I am going with the workforce that is overachieved the final a number of years as a substitute of the workforce that is simply overachieved this yr.” For the remainder of Jones’ divisional spherical picks, you should definitely click on right here.
- Tom Fornelli: Packers 27-24 over 49ers (San Francisco covers +6). “I really like betting on the 49ers and Kyle Shanahan as underdogs. Since taking up in San Francisco, Shanahan’s 49ers groups have gone 25-17 ATS as underdogs, in comparison with 16-24-1 as favorites. Taking it a step additional, as highway canine, the Niners are 17-10 ATS. As highway canine exterior the division, they’re 11-6. Aren’t these great developments?” For the remainder of Fornelli’s divisional spherical greatest bets, you should definitely click on right here.
- Jordan Dajani: Rams 29-24 over Buccaneers (Los Angeles covers +3). “The Buccaneers are coping with a number of notable accidents — together with two beginning offensive linemen who could possibly be out — which all of us ought to regulate as we inch nearer to kickoff. Additionally, Matthew Stafford has received two of his final three begins towards Brady. He’ll should play turnover-free soccer, however I’ve the Rams upsetting the Bucs this week. “ For the remainder of Dajani’s divisional spherical picks, you should definitely click on right here.
- Tyler Sullivan: Chiefs 30-26 over Payments (Kansas Metropolis covers -2). “Andy Reid’s workforce has been stellar at residence as of late, going 5-0 ATS of their earlier 5 video games at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are additionally 6-1 ATS of their final six residence playoff video games.” For the remainder of Sullivan’s divisional spherical picks, you should definitely click on right here.
3. Rating the eight remaining playoff quarterbacks
Grant Halverson/Getty Photographs
So far as quarterback expertise goes, this yr’s divisional spherical of the playoffs looks like among the best ever. Not solely do now we have a seven-time Tremendous Bowl winner taking part in this weekend in Tom Brady, however we even have two different Tremendous Bowl successful quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. (All three of these guys are additionally former MVP winners.) To not point out, we even have one QB who’s been to the Tremendous Bowl over the previous two years (Jimmy Garoppolo) and one other who performed in a convention title recreation simply two seasons in the past (Ryan Tannehill).
With so many good quarterbacks nonetheless within the playoffs, we determined to rank all eight of them for the divisional spherical. Cody Benjamin was given the job of rating the quarterbacks and this is the listing he got here up with:
1. Tom Brady
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Patrick Mahomes
4. Josh Allen
5. Joe Burrow
6. Matthew Stafford
7. Ryan Tannehill
8. Jimmy Garoppolo
You’ll be able to take a look at Cody’s full rationalization for his rankings by clicking right here. If you wish to argue with Cody about his listing on Twitter, then feel free to click here.
4. Rating the absolute best Tremendous Bowl matchups
With eight groups nonetheless left within the NFL playoffs, which means there are a complete of 16 Tremendous Bowl matchups which are nonetheless doable (It took me far more math than I care to confess to determine that out). With that in thoughts, Patrik Walker determined to rank the 5 sexiest doable Tremendous Bowls that might nonetheless occur.
And only for reference, Patrik is a famous Cowboys homer, so let me simply say that we’re fortunate he was capable of write something this week after being pressured to observe their debacle within the wild-card spherical.
Anyway, let’s take a look at Patrik’s rankings:
1. Chiefs-Buccaneers
2. Chiefs-49ers
3. Bengals-Rams
4. Titans- Buccaneers
5. Payments-Packers
The one recreation not listed right here that I positively would have included is Chiefs-Packers. I believe most of America can be on board to observe Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers duke it out for the primary time ever.
If you would like to take a look at Patrik’s rationalization for his rankings, you should definitely click on right here.
5. Titans making an attempt to maintain Bengals followers out of Nissan Stadium
With the Titans getting set to host simply their second playoff recreation over the previous 10 years, the workforce is doing its greatest to verify Nissan Stadium is not overrun by Bengals followers on Saturday.
The Titans really modified their ticket coverage for the playoffs in hopes of limiting the variety of Bengals followers who may purchase tickets.
Listed below are a number of particulars on the state of affairs:
- The brand new coverage. Beneath the adjusted coverage, tickets cannot be transferred to anybody who purchases them till 24 hours earlier than the sport.
- The Titans’ rationalization. The workforce’s vice chairman of ticketing, Brooke Ellenberger, actually admitted that the Titans carried out the brand new ticket coverage to maintain Bengals followers out of the stadium. “We wish Nissan Stadium to be two-tone blue,” Ellenberger told News Channel 5 in Nashville. “And so by limiting this switch window, it additionally limits the variety of visiting workforce followers that we’ll have within the stadium.”
- Why this coverage may maintain Bengals followers out. Since a possible purchaser will not have tickets in hand till late Friday afternoon on the earliest, that makes it more durable for opposing followers to plan their weekend. It additionally might scare some opposing followers away since they may assume they’re being scammed if the vendor tells them they can not ship them the tickets till Friday. Principally, as soon as the 24-hours switch window opens at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, there could possibly be a mad rush to purchase tickets.
- Titans not the primary workforce to try to maintain out opposing followers. Again in January 2016, the Broncos restricted all ticket gross sales for the AFC Championship Recreation to followers who lived within the Rocky Mountain area (Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, western Kansas and Wyoming). If you did not have a zipper code from that space, then you definately could not purchase tickets, which restricted the amount of Patriots fans who were able to attend.
The Titans are clearly at the very least considerably frightened that Bengals followers may take over Nissan Stadium, and their considerations are positively legitimate. Not solely is Nashville only a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Cincinnati, however Bengals followers are positively desirous to attend the workforce’s first divisional spherical playoff recreation in 31 years. If the Bengals win, they’d additionally advance to the AFC title recreation for the primary time for the reason that 1988 season. That 33-year drought is the longest lively convention title drought for any workforce within the NFL.
I’m associated to roughly 50 Bengals followers, and most of them are planning to attend Saturday’s recreation. I believe what I am making an attempt to say right here is that I will not be shocked if Bengals followers make up roughly 40% of the group.
6. Fast-fire roundup: Giants make a GM rent
It has been a busy 24 hours within the NFL and because it’s practically unattainable to maintain monitor of every thing that occurred, I went forward and put collectively a roundup for you.
- The Giants have discovered their normal supervisor. After practically two weeks of looking, the Giants have determined to rent Joe Schoen as their GM. The workforce interviewed him for a second time and clearly, they cherished what they heard from Schoen, who’s presently the Payments’ assistant normal supervisor. Schoen has additionally labored for each the Panthers and Dolphins. The 42-year-old can have an instantaneous likelihood to make a big impact on the Giants as a result of the truth that his new workforce has two of the highest seven picks within the 2022 NFL Draft. For extra particulars on the hiring, you should definitely click on right here.
- Dak Prescott hit with $25,000 tremendous for feedback about officiating. The NFL has hit Prescott with a serious tremendous for his feedback following the workforce’s wild-card recreation towards the 49ers. After shedding the sport, Prescott counseled Cowboys followers who have been throwing issues on the officiating crew, and the NFL positively was not a fan of that, which is why he was hit with a $25,000 tremendous.
- Michael Irvin calls out Cowboys stars for not exhibiting as much as play in playoff recreation. There’s been Cowboys drama on daily basis this week and at present isn’t any completely different. In an interview on the “Stacking the Box” podcast, Irvin mentioned the Cowboys misplaced as a result of their stars did not present up for the sport. “Each workforce you have a look at, the celebs of the workforce confirmed up and performed,” Irvin mentioned, via PFT. “You’ll be able to’t win on this recreation in case your stars do not present up and play. It is Dak Prescott, 69 passer ranking. Ezekiel Elliott, 31 speeding yards. CeeDee Lamb, 21 yards on one reception.”
- Packers activate Randall Cobb off IR. Aaron Rodgers is probably going going to have one in all his favourite weapons again Saturday and that is as a result of the Packers have activated Randall Cobb off of injured reserve. Cobb, who underwent core muscle surgical procedure, hasn’t performed since a Nov. 28 (Week 12) win over the Rams.
- Chiefs signal former Raiders first-round decide Damon Arnette. The cornerback was minimize in November after a disturbing video surfaced on social media that confirmed Arnette waving a number of weapons round and threatening to kill somebody. Regardless of his authorized troubles, the Chiefs have decided to sign Arnette to a futures contract.
- Texans interview former NFL QB Josh McCown for head teaching job. For the second straight yr, the Texans have interviewed McCown for his or her head teaching job. Regardless of having zero NFL teaching expertise, the Texans proceed to have an interest, which makes this a captivating state of affairs to observe. To maintain tabs on all of the teaching interviews which have gone down, you should definitely take a look at our interview tracker by clicking right here.
